The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is in the early stages of an investigation after a case of bovine tuberculosis was identified in a cow from Saskatchewan.
The CFIA said in a Dec. 16 industry notice that a tissue sample from the animal - which was slaughtered in a federally registered facility in Alberta - was found to be positive for bovine TB back in late November.
Working with the information in the Canadian Livestock Traceability System, the CFIA identified a herd in Saskatchewan as the birth herd/herd of origin of the infected animal. The herd has now been placed under quarantine until all testing is complete, the federal agency said.
Bovine TB is a reportable disease in Canada and has been subject to a mandatory national eradication program since 1923. While all areas of Canada are considered to be officially free of bovine TB today, “isolated cases in cattle may occur,” the CFIA said.
The ongoing investigation involves identifying all herds that came in contact with the infected animal during its life. The CFIA has also begun laboratory testing to identify the exact strain of the TB, as this may reveal if there are connections to previous cases. The process can take up to 12 weeks to complete.
The tracing results from a 2023 investigation of a bovine TB infected herd in Saskatchewan did not identify any connection to the herd in the current case.
Two cows from a Saskatchewan ranch tested positive for bovine TB in the 2023 case, while four cases were diagnosed in the British Columbia Interior after slaughter at an abattoir in southern Alberta in 2018.
The CFIA tested 34,000 animals on more than 145 farms in Western Canada but did not find the source of infection after six cases of bovine TB were identified in a herd in southern Alberta in 2016.
